Play for Peace brings children of conflicting cultures together through cooperative play. Partner organizations and volunteers in areas such as the Balkans and urban Chicago support the training of teenage facilitators, who learn through experience how to facilitate cooperative, noncompetitive games for children aged 6-10. (SV)

Highlights social-behavior patterns linked to peer relation problems in preadolescent children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Provides a review of evidence suggesting continuation of social problems into adolescence, including two studies' findings of the increased risk for social interaction problems in adolescents with…

Four studies investigated reliability and validity of the Theory of Mind (TOM) test, an instrument for assessing theory-of-mind ability in typical children and children with pervasive developmental disorders. The TOM test was found to be a reliable and valid instrument for measuring various aspects of theory of mind. (Author/CR)

This award-winning article describes a research project which evaluated use of "social stories" with primary-grade children who have autism. Social stories are written to describe social situations the child finds difficult and include descriptive sentences which describe the situation, perspective sentences which explain the reactions of others,…

Forty-four fourth- and fifth-grade boys with and without learning disabilities (LD) completed a semi-structured interview measure of interpersonal understanding. They were also rated by their teachers on social adaptation in the classroom. Interpersonal understanding and social adaptation were positively correlated, and children with LD exhibited…

Observes that student breaktimes are often seen as problems by teachers and that there are signs that breaktime is being reduced; however, breaktimes may have important social value for students. Reports on the results of a national survey in the United Kingdom about breaktime and teacher perceptions of its value. (DSK)

Examines research on psychological and social aspects of gifted education, highlighting: students' psychological and social needs, school-based issues common to gifted students, and social coping strategies gifted students employ at school. An information management model is discussed for anticipating and understanding gifted students'…

Summarizes research on the role of social relations in the development of aggressive and disruptive behavior. Concludes that social growth of such youth is highly complex and that school-based interventions should focus not only on the behavior of the student, but also on socio-cognitive processes and social contextual factors that support…

Describes theoretical models of social-information processing which include goals as a crucial component. Reviews the research on children who are aggressive, withdrawn/submissive, or prosocial and finds relationships between children's goals, their strategies for coping with problematic social tasks, and their ultimate success or failure in…

Examined the nature of conflicts among young preschoolers. Observed 184 three-year-olds in a dyadic play situation. Found that children's conflicts arose in the context of ongoing play and were brief. Concluded that by age 36 months, most children have acquired the skills to play positively with a peer. (JS)

Investigated the impact of the outdoor-learning environment on play behaviors and peer relationships of second graders with different levels of physical competence. Found that playground design influenced children's social- and physical-skill development by facilitating or constraining the strategies they used to manage their play with peers. A…

Discusses the importance of cooperative learning, focusing on what is and is not a cooperative effort; types of cooperative learning; an example of integrated use of cooperative learning; cooperative schools; basic elements of cooperation; and what is known about cooperative efforts (related to achievement, interpersonal relationship, and…

Communicative functions, overall developmental level, and autistic features were studied in eight females (ages 11-36) with Rett Syndrome. Low levels of communicative abilities and overall functioning were demonstrated, and joint attention behaviors and expression of communicative intent were rare. Six subjects, however, showed clear examples of…

Linking the Interests of Families and Teachers (LIFT), a prevention program designed for delivery to children and parents within the elementary school setting, is described. Components include classroom-based child social and problem skills training, playground-based behavior modification, and group-delivered parent training. Successful results of…

A study compared characteristics of two preschool boys with profound bilateral hearing impairments. The linguistic and social development of the boy whose hearing impairment was detected at age 2 was found to be much slower than that of the boy whose hearing impairment was detected at 4 months. (Contains references.) (CR)